Member-only story
Happy Labor Day!
It’s about more than sales and cookouts
The union bug
I have never belonged to a union. Not because I don’t like them but because none of my jobs have had them. My only experience with unions was getting the union bug on items that I had printed for campaigns. Democratic campaigns require all print jobs be done by union shops. Republican campaigns have no such requirement.
When I was working on Clinton/Gore ’96, I was sent to Centralia, Washington. We were working on a bus tour and this was a stop. I was in the union hall when I saw a sign that read, “Don’t like unions? Sure, we’ll give you back your dues but you need to give back your vacation, overtime, sick leave…” I am sure there was more to it. For people who know what unions are all about, this was not some revelation but to me, it was. I had never thought of things that way. Truth be told, I never gave it any thought before that. Labor Day to me was a day we had off from work and school.
Labor Day started in New York City
Labor Day started in the Empire State. According to the Department of Labor:
Before it was a federal holiday…